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The
Education Index at PhDs.org
is the Internets premier source of updated, clear educational
data about undergraduate and graduate programs in the United States.
We use publicly available numbers from the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES), and strive to present them in a simple
and easy-to-digest way.
- covers 19,079 programs at 2,240 US universities

Cheap
Online Colleges - a comprehensive and informative resource
that allows you to search for colleges and their respective tuition.

Online
College Courses - a free and comprehensive resource that
is a collection of open college course that spans videos, audio
lectures, and notes given by professors at Harvard, Princeton
and MIT. It aggregates the best available open courseware for
students and professionals, all in a conveniently searchable online
courseware platform.

Best
Colleges - information on 7,595 schools to help you with
your search for the best schools.

MIT's
OpenCourseWare
"...a free and open educational resource (OER) for educators, students,
and self-learners around the world. MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW) supports
MIT's mission to advance knowledge and education, and serve the world
in the 21st century."

* Canada
Learning BondThe Canada Learning Bond (CLB) is a grant offered by the Government
of Canada to help parents, friends, and family members save early for
the post-secondary education of children in modest-income families.
(...) The Government of Canada will make a one-time payment of $500
into the RESP of children who qualify for the Canada Learning Bond and
a $100 deposit each subsequent year the childs primary caregiver
receives the National
Child Benefit Supplement, to a maximum of $2,000. Canlearn.ca
offers more information regarding the amount of CLB the child could
receive.

* Canada
Education Savings Grant
When you, as a parent, friend or family member, open a Registered
Education Savings Plan (RESP) on behalf of a child and apply
for the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG), the Government of Canada
will deposit a percentage of your own contribution directly into the
RESP. To date, more than three million children have benefited from
the Canada Education Savings Grant.

Canadian
Association for Social Work Education (CASWE)
(formerly the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work - CASSW)
The Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) is a voluntary,
national charitable association of university faculties, schools and
departments offering professional education in social work at the undergraduate,
graduate and post-graduate levels.

CanadaStudentDebt.ca
A site providing support for student loan problems!
"Student loans are meant to be paid back. Help should be available
for those who have an unmanageable debt burden. A higher level of service
should be provided by administrators. Bankruptcy is not the answer to
student debt! If you are seeking ways to avoid paying back your loan,
please do not post on this site. If you have good intentions of paying
your loan and are experiencing hardship and need help, you are most
welcome to post here."

How Ottawa Spendshttps://carleton.ca/sppa/hos/Carleton University School of Public Policy and Administration
How Ottawa Spends is he annual review of the federal governments spending
and public policy by the Carleton University School of Public Policy and Administration.
Since 2015, How Ottawa Spends has been available at no cost and in digital formats
only.

April 12, 2017Study: Which Families Invest in Registered Education Savings Plans and
does it Matter for Postsecondary Enrolment? - 1999 and 2012http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/170412/dq170412a-eng.htm
Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) are an important savings vehicle
for many Canadian families. A new study and accompanying summary article document
trends in the characteristics of RESP savers and examine the relationship between
RESP savings and postsecondary enrolment.

October 20, 2016Study: International students in Canadian Universities, 2004/2005 to 2013/2014http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/161020/dq161020e-eng.htmThe international student population at Canadian universities
almost doubled in the decade from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014, rising from 66,000
students to 124,000. In 2013/2014, international students represented 11% of
all students on Canadian campuses, up from 7% in 2004/2005.To put this growth in perspective, the international
student population at Canadian universities grew 88% from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014,
while the comparable growth rate for Canadian students was 22%.

July 29, 2016
Spending on research and development in the higher education sector, 2014/2015http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/160729/dq160729d-eng.htm
Total expenditures on research and development (R&D) in Canada's higher
education sector edged up 0.6% to $12.9 billion in 2014/2015, after declining
in 2013/2014. The gain was attributable to higher spending in the natural sciences
and engineering field, as expenditures in the field of social sciences and humanities
were unchanged.

Excerpts:
---
Overall, 2005 bachelors degree graduates had average annual earnings of
$45,200 (in 2014 dollars) in the first year after graduation, growing by 66%
to reach $74,900 eight years out.
(...)
Nothing less than a new policy research model, which brings together policy
makers, data providers, researchers, and other stakeholders in order to move
forward on a broad skills-focused research agenda in a timely manner, is required.
---

EPRI-ESDC Tax Linkage Projecthttp://www.epri.ca/tax-linkage
The Education Policy Research Initiative (EPRI) is a national research organization
based at the University of Ottawa. EPRI engages in research aimed at informing
policy discussions focused on education, skills, and the labour market. EPRI
is perhaps the most comprehensive ever undertaken in Canada. It looked at tax
records for about 340,000 students from 14 Canadian colleges and universities
and tracked earnings over eight years.

2016 Queens International Institute
on Social Policy (QIISP):
Social Canada Revisited: Is Canadas social policy architecture fit for
contemporary purpose?http://www.queensu.ca/sps/qiisp
August 22-24, 2016
Holiday Inn, Kingston Waterfront Hotel
2 Princess Street, Kingston, ON
Canada has entered a new period of social policy interest at both the federal
and provincial levels, with significant resources committed to social policy
renewal(...)
QIISP will explore the forces shaping social conditions, how these have shifted,
and how Canada compares to its peers. It will examine persistent and/or new
social fault-lines and ask where new approaches and new thinking are needed.

NOTE : (1) Click the conference home page link
above, (2) scroll halfway down the next page and (3) click the "Agenda"
link for an expanded list of sessions at this conference.

March 11, 2016Study: Earnings of postsecondary graduates by detailed field of study,
2010http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/160311/dq160311c-eng.htm
Management sciences and quantitative methods graduates were the top earners
among bachelor's degree holders in 2010. A new study also found that earnings
varied considerably across specific fields of study within broader disciplinary
categories.

2015 State of the Federation : Canadian Federalism
and Infrastructure (small PDF file, 3 pages)http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/2015sotf/Agenda2015Draft.pdf
Conference
June 4-6, 2015
Donald Gordon Conference Centre
Kingston, Ontario
(...) The focus of the conference will be on the intergovernmental dimensions
and implications of the massive infrastructure investments required to be made
by all three orders of government.

Measuring Student Debt and Its Performance
(PDF - 405KB, 21 pages)http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr668.pdfStudent debt has been in the news lately, and for good
reason. Student debt more than doubled between 2004 and 2012, increasing from
about 350 million dollars to just shy of one trillion dollars. In 2008, student
debt was the smallest of household debts. Today, among household debt, student
debt is second only to mortgages, and it has surpassed credit cards. What happened?
This Staff Report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York susses out the details
of this extremely complicated and far reaching problem. The twenty page report
will be of use to policy makers, university administrators, guidance counselors,
and anyone who is interested in the economics of student debt in America.

November 25, 2014Canadian postsecondary enrolments and graduates, 2012/2013http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/141125/dq141125d-eng.htm
Over 2 million students were enrolled in Canadian postsecondary institutions
during the 2012/2013 academic year, up 1.1% from the previous year. Enrolments
were up in six provinces in 2012/2013, ranging from 1.0% in Saskatchewan to
1.8% in Ontario. Enrolments were down in the three Maritime provinces, British
Columbia and the territories. International student enrolments increased 6.9%
in 2012/2013 to 199,836.
(...)
In 2012, 478,737 students received a certificate, diploma or degree from a postsecondary
institution, up 3.0% from the previous year. Over half of postsecondary graduates
(57.2%) had successfully completed a program at the bachelor level or above.

- includes the following tables:
Table 1 : Postsecondary enrolments by province of study
Table 2 : Postsecondary enrolments by field of study
Table 3 : Postsecondary graduates by province of study
Table 4 : Postsecondary graduates by field of study

September 11, 2014 University tuition fees, 2014/2015http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/140911/dq140911b-eng.htmCanadian full-time students in undergraduate programs paid 3.3% more
on average in tuition fees for the 2014/2015 academic year this fall than they
did a year earlier. A similar increase was observed in 2013/2014.

Helping Make Postsecondary Education More
Affordable
Ontario Encouraging Students to Apply For 30% Off Tuition Granthttp://news.ontario.ca/tcu/en/2014/08/helping-make-postsecondary-education-more-affordable.html
News Release
August 29, 2014
Ontario is helping college and university students save 30 per cent off their
tuition for the 2014-15 school year. The value of the
grant has increased annually to keep pace with tuition costs. This year, students
in degree programs will save $1,780, while those in diploma or certificate programs
will save $820. Over 230,000 undergraduate students received
the grant in the 2013-14 school year and most students who receive the grant
pay less in net tuition than they did a decade ago.

Its Complicated : An Interprovincial
Comparison of Student Financial Aid (PDF - 2MB, 50 pages)https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2014/07/its_complicated.pdf
By Jordan MacLaren
July 2014
This report compares eligibility for student financial aid by examining the
amount of funds (both repayable and non-repayable) that a student would be eligible
to receive in each province, based on their income group (low-, middle- and
high-income). Provincial administration of part (or all) of financial aid has
resulted in great variability in the type, quantity, and availability of resources
offered to students.

Author Jordan MacLaren is a Master of Social Work
student studying at Carleton University.

The Progressive Economics Forum (PEF) at
the Canadian Economics Association meetingshttp://www.progressive-economics.ca/pef-canadian-economics-association/
The Progressive Economics Forum holds its annual meetings at the Canadian Economics
Association (CEA) conference, which we thank for its financial support. Thanks
also to Nick Falvo for organizing the following lineup of sessions from May
30 through June 1, 2014, at SFU Vancouver.

NOTE : Click the link above for the schedule of
sessions and participants.

New interactive tool on tuition fees in Canadahttps://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/new-interactive-tool-tuition-fees-canada
CCPA's latest research innovation is an interactive map that shows you how paying
for full-time undergraduate university has changed since 1975, across provinces,
and across faculties.
(...)The Tuition Map Project invites you into the data wheelhouse
and steer your way from questions to answers. The graphics animate the trends
and comparisons. You can also dig deeper by downloading spreadsheets. Whether
you're in university or not, we're hoping to unleash your curiosity about the
country we live in; how it's changing; and how we could shape change.

The Tuition Map:
Explore tuition for full-time undergraduate programs across Canadahttp://apps.policyalternatives.ca/
Search tuition by province or by degree, compare average tuition by jurisdiction
and over time (1975 to 2013)

Post-secondary education : A debate on the distributional effects
of
tuition reductions versus those of targeted grant programs
May 2014

NOTE: This battle of the blogs focuses on the
distributional effects of tuition reductions versus those of targeted
grant programs in post-secondary education. It began as a blog post
in early May (2014) by Alex Usher (President of Higher Education Strategy
Associates and Editor-in-Chief of the Global Higher Education Strategy
Monitor and a few days later, a rebuttal by Nick Falvo, Ph.D. candidate
at Carleton University in Ottawa. The May 20 link below will take you
to the latest Salvo by Falvo (!), but if you wish to catch up on the
whole parry and thrust of the debate - including allegations of drinking
neoliberal Kool-Aid and dubious choices of model jurisdictions (gettin'
snarky!)

Alex Usher is the President of Higher Education
Strategy Associates and Editor-in-Chief of Global Higher Education Strategy
Monitor.

Nick Falvo is a Ph.D. candidate at Carleton
University in Ottawa. His area of research is social policy, with a
focus on poverty, housing, homelessness and social assistance. He has
a budding interest in post-secondary education policy.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Whos Progressive?http://higheredstrategy.com/whos-progressive/
May 9, 2014
By Alex Usher
To the extent that finances act as a barrier to higher education, they
are an obstacle to those without resources  that is, those who
tend to come from lower-income backgrounds. It is, therefore, simply
common sense that if you want to relieve financial barriers, you concentrate
resources among those with the fewest means. Except, it doesnt
seem to be common sense among many of those who consider themselves
progressive in Canada. Progressives, for reasons
that are almost incomprehensible, prefer solutions that give far more
money to students from high-SES backgrounds. Why? Good question...

Source:
Higher Education Strategy Associateshttp://higheredstrategy.com/
Higher Education Strategy Associates believes that plotting the right
strategy is the key to ongoing success in the higher education market.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Alex Usher is Wrong on Tuition Feeshttp://www.academicmatters.ca/2014/05/alex-usher-is-wrong-on-tuition-fees/
By Nick Falvo
May 12, 2014
One of Canadas best-known post-secondary education pundits, Alex
Usher, recently wrote a blog post [ http://goo.gl/hz7eTE
] suggesting that Canadas status quo system of high tuition fees
(and means-tested financial aid for students) is in fact progressive.
Specifically, he argued that lowering tuition fees would reward higher-income
earners rather than lower-income earners. Ergo: no government that wants
to help lower-income households should seriously consider trying to
reduce tuition fees.

Alex Usher Needs to Consider Taxationhttp://www.academicmatters.ca/2014/05/alex-usher-needs-to-consider-taxation
May 20, 2014
By Nick Falvo
(...)
To put it bluntly, Mr. Usher appears to have drunk the neoliberal Kool-Aid.
To read his recent posts, one would think that Canadas federal
government has no choice but to offer means-tested financial assistance
to only some students.
I beg to differ...

April 28, 2014Study: Wages and full-time employment rates of young high school graduates
and bachelor's degree holders, 1997 to 2012http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/140428/dq140428a-eng.htm
The oil boom of the 2000s, increases in real minimum wages and strong growth
in the relative number of those earning bachelor's degrees contributed to a
narrowing of wage differences between young high school graduates and bachelor's
degree holders over the last decade. The findings, contained in a new study,
focused on graduates between the 2000-to-2002 and the 2010-to-2012 period. Over
that time, average real hourly wages of male high school graduates aged 20 to
34 employed full-time increased by 9%, while women in the same demographic had
an 11% rise.

Canada-EU Workshop Series: Opening Up Canadian Federalismhttp://www.eucanet.org/
The University of Victoria (UVic) European Union Centre of Excellence (EUCE),
the Department of Political Science, and the Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue
(CETD) invite social policy practitioners from government and NGOs, experts,
academic researchers, and the interested public to participate in a series of
workshops being held across Canada that compare Canadian and European Union
(EU) approaches to governing social policy.

Two workshops in the series have already been held: in Vancouver
April 14 and Edmonton April 16. These resulted in very productive discussions
about some of the problems of coordinating employment, pensions, research, and
postsecondary education policy in the Canadian federal system, as compared to
more effective approaches in the European Union.

The upcoming Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa workshops will focus
on social inclusion/poverty/homelessness/children's policy (including how NGOs
and citizens can influence policy-making), while the Halifax workshop will focus
on health care.

More information about the workshop series and how to register
is available here: http://eucaworkshops.com/.
Although the workshops are free, registration is required as space is limited.

Free post-secondary education in Canada:
It's not so radicalhttp://rabble.ca/news/2014/03/free-post-secondary-education-canada-its-not-so-radical
By Sanita Fejzic
March 31, 2014
Barrier-free access to higher education is urgently needed in Canada. In 1988,
12 per cent of university revenue came from students' pockets via tuition fees.
Fast forward some two decades later and by 2012, 41 per cent of university revenue
was generated by tuition fees. That's an average 1.2 per cent increase in tuition
fees per year. At this rate, tuition fees will cover 100 per cent of university
costs by 2061.

* The Basics. Typically in Canada, a university
has both a board of governors (BoG) and a senate. The former has responsibility
for both administrative and fiscal matters, while the latter has
responsibility for academic matters.

* Internal vs. External Members. Approximately
one-third of a universitys BoG members usually consists of internal
members (i.e. students, faculty and staff). The other two-thirds of a BoGs
members typically come from outside the university community, and are sometimes
referred to as external members.

* External Members. One advantage of having external
members on a BoG is that they often bring expertise on various topics, including
finance, auditing, capital projects and communications. However, a drawback
of external members (in my opinion) is that they sometimes are quite distant
from some of the day-to-day concerns of a university.

* Information Flow. As Robert F. Clift has pointed
out, a universitys president (i.e. the universitys most senior staff
person) is very much in control of what information makes its way to a universitys
BoG. It is therefore important for BoG members to make a presence on campus,
read campus newspapers, and talk to students, staff and faculty.

* Access to Board Members. Many BoGs in Canada
feature very basic information about their members online. However, in many
cases, contact information is not available for BoG members at a universitys
web site.

* Inner Boards. If a BoG is not careful, an inner
board (consisting of, say, four or five BoG members) can emerge, effectively
relegating the rest of the BoG to the status of an advisory committee. This
appears to be what happened at Concordia a few years ago.

Meeting Minutes. Any university BoG that is serious
about board transparency has a rather clear path it could take: it could simply
direct its recording secretary to produce a detailed version of minutes of each
meeting.

February 27, 2014Study: The long-term labour market premiums associated with a postsecondary
education, 1991 to 2010http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/140227/dq140227c-eng.htm
A new study that followed a group of men and women for two decades reports that
over the study period, men who had obtained a bachelor's degree by 1991 had
earned, on average, $732,000 more than those whose education ended at a high
school diploma. For women, the difference between the two groups was $448,000.

* Tuition fees have been
rising in Canada for roughly the past three decades. Yet, individuals in the
25-44 age demographic have the highest levels of household debt in Canada.
* Post-secondary participation has increased quite significantly in the past
half century. Yet, not all groups participate in post-secondary education (PSE)
to the same extent.
* In the aggregate, the return on investment from PSE is favourable
to students. But, again, not all people fare equally well.
* Over the past decade, there has been a significant rise in enrollment from
international students at Canadian universities (especially for students coming
from China and India. I believe that the major reason for this increase stems
from the considerably higher tuition fees paid by international students at
most Canadian universities.
* Research looking at the British Columbia context (done by Iglika Ivanova)
suggests that, as a group, university students more than pay back
to the public treasury the cost of their university education through taxation
after graduation.
[Click the link above to read Nick's complete post.]

December 16, 2013 Financial information of community colleges and vocational schools, 2011/2012http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/131216/dq131216f-eng.htm
Data for the 2011/2012 academic year from the Financial Information of Community
Colleges and Vocational Schools Survey are now available. The survey provides
financial information (income and expenditures) on all community colleges and
public vocational schools in Canada.

A Debt-Free Degree? Oregon's New Plan Would
Eliminate Upfront College Costshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/07/debt-free-degree-in-these-times_n_3721439.html
August 7, 2013
Everyone agrees that the $1 trillion in student debt carried by Americans is
a problem. Yet on a national level, Congress has only managed a deal that will
keep interest rates low for new loans this year, but let them go up in the future.Now,
one state, Oregon, is looking at broader, more far-reaching changes. On July
1, the state legislature unanimously passed a bill that could dramatically alter
how public education in Oregon is funded.

This appears to be in direct response to Albertas
provincial government announcing in its March budget that there would be a 7%
cut to operating grants to universities, colleges, and technical institutes.

This strikes me as a curious turn of events, for
several reasons.

- Albertas top income tax rate (10%) is
the lowest of any Canadian province or territory.
- Albertas corporate tax rate (10%) is also among the lowest in Canada.
-There is no provincial sales tax in Alberta (making it the only jurisdiction
without a sales tax.)- Compared to workers in the rest of Canada, Alberta
workers have not been earning their fare share of productivity increases.

If Albertas provincial government is having
trouble balancing its books, why doesnt it increase taxes?

July 8, 2013Spending on research and development in the higher education sector,
2011/2012http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130708/dq130708b-eng.htm
Spending on research and development (R&D) in Canada's higher education
sector increased by 3.4% on a fiscal year basis between 2010/2011 and 2011/2012
to $11.6 billion. The higher education sector comprises universities and affiliated
research hospitals, experimental stations and clinics. Provincially, R&D
spending by higher education institutions increased in every province except
Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.

June 2003Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program, May 2013http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-582-x/81-582-x2013001-eng.htmThe Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP) provides a statistical
portrait of the elementary, secondary and postsecondary education systems
through the following products:

An International Perspective http://www.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-bin/IPS/display?cat_num=81-604-X
 This annual report combines international statistics from the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with comparable provincial
and territorial figures. The first report was published in September 2009.

June 18, 2013 2011 National Household Survey announcement: Education and Labourhttp://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130618/dq130618f-eng.htm
On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, Statistics Canada will release the second set of
data from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS). The release focuses on education,
labour, place of work and language of work. It also features two analytical
reports.

The first report will provide a descriptive profile
of education in Canada including level of educational attainment, field of study
and location of study. The report will examine post-secondary educational achievement
across a spectrum of variables such as gender, age and geography.

The second report will provide a descriptive portrait
of the Canadian labour force. It will feature an industry profile, the most
common occupations for men and women, as well as an overview of employment by
level of educational attainment. The report will briefly touch on workers aged
55 and over and interprovincial mobility.

Three companion reports will also be available.
They will analyze the educational attainment of Aboriginal peoples, commuting
to work and language used in the workplace.

June 17, 2013
Financial information of universities and colleges, 2011/2012http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130617/dq130617c-eng.htm
The Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) report is now
available for the 2011/2012 academic year. Aggregated data for degree-granting
institutions that are not members of the CAUBO organization are expected to
be released in July.

January 23, 2013Public postsecondary enrolments and graduates, 2010/2011http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130123/dq130123a-eng.htm
Just over 1,955,300 students were enrolled in Canadian public postsecondary
institutions during the academic year 2010/2011, a 2.7% increase from the previous
year. Canadian students made up 91.5% of total enrolments and international
students 8.5%. Enrolments increased in every province except New Brunswick and
Saskatchewan, where they remained relatively stable.

Stop wondering about under-subscription
of benefits:
Getting the Learning Bond and Education Savings Grants is really hard for low-income
parentshttp://openpolicyontario.com/stop-wondering-about-under-subscription-of-benefits/
By John Stapleton - Open Policy Ontario
January 22, 2013A blog about why it is hard for low-income parents to
receive the benefits of an RESP, Education Saving Grant or Canada Learning Bond
for their children's education.---
In this blog post, John encounters, along with four single parents, eight of
the significant barriers facing low-income parents in the course of the application
process for these education-related assistance programs.

January 8, 2013Financial information of universities and colleges, 2010/2011*http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130108/dq130108b-eng.htm
Final data for the 2010/2011 academic year from the Financial Information of
Universities and Colleges Survey are now available.
--- *By Gilles:
All you have to do to obtain this info is to self-identify.
*%#*@!
For the life of me, I can't understand WHY StatCan doesn't just post this info
to their site.
It's NOT fair to require interested parties to self-identify in order to obtain
a copy of this info!

How affordable is a university education
in your province?http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/how-affordable-university-education-your-province
September 11, 2012
A new report from the CCPAs Education Project tracks the affordability
of university education across Canadian provinces. The study looks at trends
in tuition and compulsory fees in Canada since 1990, projects fees for each
province for the next four years, and examines the impact on affordability for
median- and low-income families using a Cost of Learning Index.

The report:

Eduflation and the High Cost of Learning
(PDF - 1.5MB, 42 pages)http://goo.gl/OdWpF
By David Macdonald and Erika Shaker
September 2012

September 12, 2012University tuition fees, 2012/2013http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/120912/dq120912a-eng.htmCanadian full-time students in undergraduate programs paid 5.0% more
on average in tuition fees for the 2012/2013 academic year this fall than they
did a year earlier. This follows a 4.3% increase in 2011/2012.

Canada Social Transfer Project : Accountability Matters Canadian Association of Social Workers
March 2012

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!

First, some context:

The Canada Social
Transfer (CST) is the primary source of federal funding in Canada that supports
provincial and territorial social programs, specifically, post secondary education,
social assistance, social services, and programs for children. In 2007, legislated
funding for the CST was extended to 2013-2014, putting it on the same long-term
predictable legislative track as the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). As both 2014
and the review of the CHT and CST are fast approaching, conversations have begun
at the federal level about the Canada Health Transfer. The Canadian Association
of Social Workers (CASW), a national organization that has adopted a pro-active
approach to addressing issues pertinent to social policy and social work practice
in Canada, calls for a similar approach of review of the Canada Social Transfer
(CST) to be undertaken at the federal level.
(...)
While the Canada Health Transfer is attached to a set of conditions through
the Canada Health Act, the Canada Social Transfer is a largely unconditional
transfer, a fact that has come into question over time by scholars, policy-makers
and activists.
[Source: Excerpt from report background, p.6]

Canadian Association of Social Workers Report
on Social Transferhttp://casw-acts.ca/en/canadian-association-social-workers-report-social-transfer
News Release
March 19, 2012
The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) today issued a comprehensive
report aimed at bringing attention to the lack of accountability inherent in
the receipt and delivery of the Canadian Social Transfer. Entitled Canada Social
Transfer Project - Accountability Matters, the Report outlines recommendations
on renewing accountability for the billions transferred annually from the federal
to provincial governments in support of social services, childcare and post-secondary
education.

An end to the perpetual welfare trap?
Guaranteed incomes debatedhttp://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/an-end-to-the-perpetual-welfare-trap-167004295.html
By: Mary Agnes Welch
August 22, 2012
Bringing back a discarded government program could save taxpayers millions in
health-care and bureaucracy costs and dramatically shrink poverty, just as it
did in Dauphin almost 40 years ago. The problem is, even
the province's left-leaning NDP government likely doesn't have the political
will to use it.
That was the feeling Tuesday at a standing-room-only lecture about a hot public-policy
idea -- a guaranteed annual income that would replace welfare.
It's an idea with roots in Manitoba. Nearly 40 years ago, Dauphin was the site
of an experiment on the effects of a guaranteed income. Every low-income person
in town, including the working poor and people not eligible for welfare, got
a top-up to ensure a basic level of income.
At a discussion hosted by Winnipeg Harvest, University of Manitoba researcher
Evelyn Forget said the results were remarkable: People had much better health,
far more children graduated from high school and people didn't stop working
just because they were guaranteed an income.
(...)
Guaranteed annual income had a rebirth as an interesting, if seemingly radical,
policy alternative to the confusing, expensive hodge-podge of welfare systems
in Canada. We've already adopted some targeted elements of a GAI, such as the
national child benefit and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. Yukon
toyed with a version of the GAI in 2007, and there was an international conference
focused on the idea in Toronto in May of this year.- includes an overview of the Mincome Manitoba experiment of the mid-1970s,
specifically in Dauphin Manitoba.

Canadian Review of Social Policyhttp://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/crsp/index
The Canadian Review of Social Policy/Revue canadienne de politique sociale is
a scholarly and bilingual journal of progressive social policy. It aims to promote
the exchange of ideas amongst a network of people involved in education, the
public sector and social movements in the field of Canadian social policy and
administration. CRSP/RCSP publishes analyses of historical and current developments,
issues, debates, and reviews of recent publications.

Sample content:

Stretched Beyond Human Limits: Death By
Poverty in First Nations (PDF - 240K, 16 pages)http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/crsp/article/viewFile/35220/32057
June 2012
By Pamela D. Palmater
Indian policy in Canada has been historically based on the objective
of assimilating the Indigenous population. There has been recent movement to
create policies that support First Nations self-governance, yet, the Indian
Act and its related policies have not been amended to reflect this change. Thus
federal policy now hovers between the two conflicting objectives. The result
is chronic poverty in First Nations, a worsening problem that has stymied federal
policy-makers.

Source:
Issue No. 65-66 (2011) of the
Canadian Review of Social Policy (CRSP)http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/crsp/issue/view/2005/showToc
NOTE: The above article is a free sample of the type of content that you'll
find in CRSP.
To access other articles in this issue and in the archives, click the "Subscription
information" link below.

June 4, 2012 Financial information of universities and colleges, 2010/2011http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/120604/dq120604e-eng.htmThe interim Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO)
report is now available for the 2010/2011 academic year and includes financial
data for all CAUBO member institutions except those in Quebec. A full final
report will be released as soon as the Quebec data become available.

- the federal government will collect $48 billion
less than it would have if taxation rates remained at the same level as in 2000.
- fully one-quarter of that $48 billion figure can be attributed to the two-percentage-point
cut in the Goods and Services Tax, brought in by the Harper government.
- with just 10% of that $48 billion, tuition fees could be eliminated for all
students currently enrolled in Canadian universities.
- in the late 1970s, funding from senior levels of government typically covered
80% of the operating budget of a university or college in Canada; today, such
funding typically covers just 50% of a university or colleges operating
budget (the precise amount varies depending on the province). The remaining
amount must usually be raised by increasing tuition fees (read: Quebec student
protests) or by fundraising from private sources.
- more (click the top link in this section for Nick's complete posting).

Seven reasons why you should support a move
to low tuition fees for higher educationhttp://goo.gl/e3Fx5
May 29th, 2012
By Iglika Ivanova
Much of the media coverage on Quebecs student protests has dismissed the
students as cranky middle and upper-middle class children clinging to the advantages
they already have. But the fact that the vast majority of todays university
students come from relatively well-off families indicates that we have a serious
problem with access to education. A problem that would only be exacerbated by
tuition hikes. (...) Here are seven reasons why we would all be better off if
we increased public investment in higher education and reduced the burden that
high tuition fees pose of students and their families.

1. The notable absence of students from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds from university campuses raises serious questions
of fairness and social justice.
2. Financial barriers to education impact Canadas economic well-being.
3. Questions of access to education are more important today than ever before
because higher education is increasingly becoming a standard job requirement.
4. Student loans dont make up for high tuition fees.
5. An educated society benefits everybody, not just the people who go to university.
6. The fact that individuals gain from having higher education is not sufficient
reason to rely on user fees (aka tuition) to finance education.
7. Education is a great investment for our public dollars: students repay the
full cost of their education through taxes over their working careers.

The student strikes in Quebec, which began in
February and have lasted for three months, involving roughly 175,000 students
in the mostly French-speaking Canadian province, have been subjected to a massive
provincial and national media propaganda campaign to demonize and dismiss the
students and their struggle. The following is a list of ten points that everyone
should know about the student movement in Quebec to help place their struggle
in its proper global context.

The ten points:

1) The issue is debt, not tuition
2) Striking students in Quebec are setting an example for youth across the continent
3) The student strike was organized through democratic means and with democratic
aims
4) This is not an exclusively Quebecois phenomenon
5) Government officials and the media have been openly calling for violence
and fascist tactics to be used against the students
6) Excessive state violence has been used against the students
7) The government supports organized crime and opposes organized students
8) Canadas elites punish the people and oppose the students
9) The student strike is being subjected to a massive and highly successful
propaganda campaign to discredit, dismiss, and demonize the students
10) The student movement is part of a much larger emerging global movement of
resistance against austerity, neoliberalism, and corrupt power

2012 Queen's (University) Institute on Social
Policy ("QIISP 2012")Where Are We Going? The Changing Social Model in Canadahttp://www.queensu.ca/sps/events/conferencesandworkshops/qiisp/201213.htmlAugust 20-22, 2012
Kingston, Ontario
The Canadian social model is changing. In recent decades, shifting economic
and social pressures and changing political priorities, have led to the restructuring
of important social programs. What is the new trajectory in Canadian social
policy? How different is the Canadian social model today from that in the past?
Have we established a new balance in the roles of the market, families, the
voluntary sector and governments in meeting the social needs of Canadians? How
sustainable is the current model in fiscal and political terms? What are the
implications for the priorities and challenges in the years to come?

QIISP 2012 examines the trajectory of change in social policy over the last
20 years. It places the Canadian trajectory in international perspective, comparing
our experience with that of other OECD countries. The aim is to identify the
principles underpinning the emerging social model, and the implications for
the future agenda in social policy.

Quebec student fight gains international
attention [expired link]
April 26, 2012
By Stefani Forster
What began as a provincial policy spat over tuition hikes in Quebec has transformed,
in just over a year, into a movement of broader student unrest now receiving
some international attention. In the last few days, Quebec's student protests
have received coverage in French news outlets like Le Monde and Agence France-Presse,
in Australia, in New Zealand, and in the U.S., including on CNN.
(...)
The annual tuition for a private university in the U.S. is over $30,000 a year,
with collective student debt poised to reach $1 trillion  which is even
more than all the credit-card debt in that country. So why should Quebecers
be complaining about a comparably measly $1,625 hike? Protesters say it's because
they want their education system to move in the other direction  away
from the U.S. model and closer to a system like Sweden's, where post-secondary
education is free.

The opposition has grown steadily, ever since
the Quebec government announced its $325-a-year, five-year increases in the
March 2011 budget. While the move would still leave Quebec with some of the
lowest tuition rates in the country, protesters say they're fighting for principles.
Activists overseas are also joining in on the discussion about Quebec's tuition
hikes, framing it as part of a larger historic fight.

Quebec Students: Faire Leur Juste
Parthttp://www.progressive-economics.ca/2012/04/28/quebec-students-faire-leure-juste-part/
By Nick Falvo.
April 28, 2012
Simon Tremblay-Pepin, an emerging social policy scholar, has recently blogged
here (in French : http://goo.gl/mTxLK ) about
Quebec tuition fees. He points out that, when one adjusts for inflation, Quebec
tuition fees are headed into uncharted territory. Indeed, contrary to some recent
spin from the Charest government, Tremblay-Pepin makes two important observations:
1. When one takes an average of Quebec tuition fees over the past45 years (using
constant dollars), current Quebec tuition fees are significantly higher than
the 45-year average.
2. The tuition-fee increases being proposed by the Charest government would
bring Quebecs tuition fees to their highest levels ever.
The above observations call into question what the Charest government actually
means when it asks todays generation of Quebec students to pay their
fair share. Or, as they say in French, faire leur juste part.

NOTE: For extensive coverage of the student
strike against the tuition fee hike, go to the rabble.ca forum:http://rabble.ca/babble/qu%C3%A9bec/student-strike-against-tuition-fees-hike
The link takes you to the first of three pages of a forum dedicated to the student
protest.
Each of the three pages contains 100 links to articles and photos related
to the student protest.
At the bottom of each of the first two pages, you're given a link to the next
page.
[Kinda clunky interface, IMHO, but very comprehensive and compelling.]
The last posting on the third page is just a few days old.Source:
rabble.cahttp://rabble.ca/

A recent CBC News article [ http://goo.gl/mPFQ
] underlines how perilous such recruitment of post-secondary students from abroad
can be, and why it is important that lines of accountability be clear. The article
reports on how a University of Winnipeg recruitment agent overcharged
students who had recently been recruited from China. The students were charged
as much as $3,000 per month for room and board.

The students in this case attended the University
of Winnipeg Collegiate, which appears to be the high school version of a pathway
college. It is located on the campus of the University of Winnipeg. The CBC
article states that it is part of the University of Winnipeg.

Two quotes from the article really struck me.
The first is from the senior adviser to the President of the University Winnipeg,
who said: Their parents entered into a relationship that was outside of
the purview, and a contract outside of the institutions awareness and
purviewand in that sense, legal responsibility.

The second is from Elizabeth Saewyc, a University
of British Columbia professor who has done research on students staying in similar
homestay programs. In reference to the issue of whos responsible
for the overcharging in this case, she says: This lack of sort of figuring
out whos in charge really creates the opportunity for kids to fall through
the cracks.

I think this story underlines the importance of
clear lines of accountability when Canadian universities recruit students from
abroad. When private actors enter into partnerships with Canadian
universities, whos actually in charge?

[Nick Falvo is a Ph.D. Candidate in Public Policy
at Carleton University in Ottawa.]

From the Senate of Canada:

Opening the Door : Reducing Barriers to
Post-Secondary Education in Canada (PDF - 1.2MB,
130 pages)http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/411/soci/rep/rep06dec11-e.pdf
December 2011
(...)
In Canada, education falls under provincial jurisdiction. Section 93 of the
Constitution Act, 1867, states that [i]n and for each Province the Legislature
may exclusively make Laws in relation to Education. As a result, each
province and territory is responsible for organizing, delivering and evaluating
education within its borders, from primary to post-secondary levels. However,
pursuant to section 91 of the Constitution, the federal government is responsible
for the education of First Nations people on reserve, members of the armed forces
and their families, and inmates of federal correctional institutions, among
others.

The federal governments role for primary and secondary education is limited
to these specific groups (e.g., education of First Nations on reserve), but
is more flexible with regard to PSE. For example, the federal government is
involved in PSE by indirectly funding the provincial PSE systems through transfer
payments, financing research through granting councils, and supporting students
through the Canada Student Loans Program. Federal involvement in PSE is based
on the governments significant responsibility for national economic policy,
human resource development and citizens mobility between provinces.

Government of Canada makes education more affordable
for part time studentshttp://goo.gl/4cFWD
News Release
December 21, 2011  Today, the Government of Canada announced a new measure
to improve access to post-secondary education. Beginning January 1, 2012 new
and existing loans for part-time students will be interest-free during study.
Dr. Kellie Leitch, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources
and Skills Development, made the announcement today at the University of Toronto,
on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley.
Source:
Canada News Centrehttp://news.gc.ca/web/index-eng.do

From the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services (U. of Ottawa):

On October 14-15, 2011 the University of Victoria
hosted a successful conference entitled Comparing Modes of Governance in Canada
and the European Union: Social Policy Engagement across Complex Multilevel Systems.
Almost 100 people (representing academia, practitioners, students, NGOs, business
and citizens) heard 32 presentations from leading Canadian and European scholars
and practitioners on:
* why compare Canada and the European Union;
* how multilevel governance in Canada and the European Union actually work;
* Canadian and EU experiences with employment and training, postsecondary education
and social inclusion governance; and
* the courts as arbiters of multilevel governance.
Those who attended noted that they found the EU comparison and the ensuing conversation
about similarities and differences to Canada useful as a way of reflecting on
Canadian governance practices.

Federal
Post-Secondary Education ActBy Nick Falvo
November 6, 2011Last month, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)
released a document entitled Public Education for the Public Good: A National
Vision for Canadas Post-Secondary Education System (PDF - 1.5MB,
28 pages). I found the document to be quite informative, filled with a lot of
useful statistics.
For example:- Enrolment is rising in colleges and universities across
Canada.- Federal funding for post-secondary education (PSE)
in Canada has decreased very substantially since the late-1970s. - In light of rising tuition, substantially more university
students work during the academic year today than 30 years ago. - Class sizes are getting bigger. - The Canada Social Transfer, which transfers funding
to provinces, does not require provinces to actually use federal funding for
PSE for PSE purposes.

Source:Progressive Economics
Forum
The Progressive Economics Forum aims to promote the development of a progressive
economics community in Canada. The PEF brings together over 125 progressive
economists, working in universities, the labour movement, and activist research
organizations.

Mad Students
Society (MSS) is a free peer support and advocacy
group for students who are attending institutions of post-secondary or adult
education and have past and/or present experiences with the psychiatric and/or
mental health systems. MSS meets on the second Saturday of every month in downtown
Toronto and maintains an email discussion listserv (open to anyone, regardless
of geographic location). Please pass on this information to people you are supporting
who may find this group a useful resource. If you are working with someone who
wants support to join the group, please get in touch. For more information or to request brochures for your
office, please email outreach@madstudentsociety.com.
The MSS website is currently being updated.

September 16, 2011University
tuition fees, 2011/2012Canadian full-time students in undergraduate programs paid 4.3%
more on average in tuition fees for the 2011/2012 academic year this fall than
they did a year earlier. This follows a 4.0% increase in 2010/2011.
- includes four tables:
--- Average undergraduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students, by province
--- Average graduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students, by province
--- Average undergraduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students by faculty
--- Average graduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students by faculty

McGuinty
Proposes Undergraduate Tuition GrantBy Nick Falvo
September 14, 2011[NOTE : Read the Comments section at the bottom of the article for clarification
of the Liberal tuition grant promise (the Devil's in the details...) and links
to further information.]

An Ontario election is slated for October 6, and the reigning
Liberal Party will attempt to pull off a third consecutive majority government.
In that vein, the Liberals have recently made a slew of campaign promises in
the post-secondary education (PSE) sector. Notably, theyve committed to
reducing undergraduate tuition for middle-class Ontario families
by 30 percent, amounting to $1600 per student in university and $730 per
student in college. According to a September 5
Toronto Star article: The tuition break would be
available only to students from families with a gross household income of $160,000
or less a year  about 86 per cent of the 360,000 students currently enrolled
 and would take effect Jan. 1.

Post-Secondary
Education in Newfoundland and Labrador
By Nick Falvo
September 16, 2011Last March, Keith Dunne and I wrote an opinion piece
on Danny Williams post-secondary education (PSE) legacy in Newfoundland
and Labrador. Among other things, we pointed out that average undergraduate
tuition fees (for domestic students) in Newfoundland and Labrador are $2,624/yr.,
compared with $5,138 for Canada as a whole and $6,307 in Ontario. With
a provincial election slated to take place in Newfoundland and Labrador on October
11, Newfoundland and Labradors NDP is proposing to take the province even
further down the path of PSE affordability.

Comparing
Modes of Governance in Canada and the European Union:
Social Policy Engagement across Complex Multilevel SystemsConference (October 14-15, 2011)University of Victoria
On October 14-15, 2011 the University of Victoria, Canada is hosting an international
conference, Comparing Modes of Governance in Canada and the European Union
(EU): Social Policy Engagement across Complex Multilevel Systems, featuring
over 30 EU and Canadian scholars and practitioners expert in comparative federalism
and/or multilevel governance. The conference provides a unique opportunity to
compare how we govern social policy with the European Union, and assess whether
best practice lessons from the EU might improve social policy governance in
Canada. (...) Soft governance tools through the Open Method of Coordination
(OMC) - including voluntary coordinated action, exchange of best practices,
benchmarking, codes of conduct, and comparative analysis - help EU member states
work towards pan-European goals and policy convergence while respecting their
differences.

[Although there is no fee for the conference,
registration
is required.]

Program
at a glance (impressive list of topics, speakers and presenters; more
detailed program to come)

August 24, 2011Study: University completion by parents' educational
attainment, 2009HTMLPDF(112K)People who have parents with a university degree remain more likely to get
a university education than children whose parents do not have a degree, although
the gap between the two groups has narrowed over time. In 1986, 12% of Canadian-born
people aged 25 to 39 whose parents did not complete university had graduated
from university. By 2009, this proportion had almost doubled to 23%.

Source:Canadian
Social Trends - Product main page*
This publication discusses the social, economic, and demographic changes affecting
the lives of Canadians
[ * Click "View" for the latest issue of this periodical;
click "Chronological index" for earlier editions. ]

Education
Indicators in Canada: Fact Sheets - Product main page*
The fact sheets in this series provide an "at-a-glance" overview of
particular aspects of education in Canada and summarize key data trends in selected
tables published as part of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP).
The PCEIP mission is to publish a set of statistical measures on education systems
in Canada for policy makers, practitioners and the general public to monitor
the performance of education systems across jurisdictions and over time.
---
[ * On the product main page,click "View" to see the latest issue
of this report online; click "Chronological index" for earlier issues.
]

Progressive
Economics Forum at the
Canadian Economics Association meetingsHere's a selection of Progressive Economics Forum sessions scheduled
for the Canadian Economics Association conference on June 3-5 at the University
of Ottawa:
* Debt Wall? Trends in Canadian Household Debt ?
* Financial Literacy: Where are We and Where Should We be Going
* Philosophy of Money and Finance
* The European Debt and Currency Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Implications
for North America
* Dissecting the Fiscal Issues Facing Canada
* Canadian Provincial Budgeting Priorities and Risks
* Measuring the Credit Union Difference: The Economic Consequences of Credit
Unions.
Source:Progressive Economics Forum

Reforming
Ontarios UniversitiesBy Nick Falvo
March 31, 2011
I have just finished reading a 2009 book entitled Academic Transformation:
The Forces Reshaping Higher Education in Ontario. The book (...) has received
a fair bit of attention among post-secondary (PSE) wonks. While I find it informative,
I am uncomfortable with the books central feature: a proposal to reform
Ontarios PSE sector with the main goal of bringing about substantial cost
savings.
Source:Progressive
Economics Forum

Danny
Williams Post-Secondary Education LegacyLast December, Danny Williams stepped down
as premier of
Newfoundland and Labrador. When he did, he was the most popular premier in Canada.
March 18, 2011By Keith Dunne and Nick Falvo
While Williams will be remembered by most as a fighter who brought his province
from have-not to have status, one of the best-kept secrets in Canadian social
policy is that he was also one of Canadas greatest champions of affordable
post-secondary education. (...) Since 2003, the Williams government has increased
funding for post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador by about 82
per cent. (...) Today, average undergraduate tuition fees in Newfoundland and
Labrador are $2,624 per year for a domestic student, compared with $5,138 for
Canada as a whole, $5,318 in oil-rich Alberta, and $6,307 in Ontario. (...)
When Premier Williams stepped down, Angus Reids vice-president stated
that Williams popularity was extraordinary by Canadian standards.
By contrast, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is behind in the polls by a considerable
margin as university students in his province pay the highest tuition fees in
Canada. As McGuinty tries to differentiate himself from
other party leaders, hed be well advised to look at Danny Williams
record on post-secondary education. If making a post-secondary education affordable
worked on the Rock, it can work in other provinces too.
[ Keith Dunne is Newfoundland and Labrador Organizer
for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). Nick Falvo is a PhD candidate
at Carleton Universitys School of Public Policy and Administration and
Vice-President Finance of Carletons Graduate Students Association.]
Source:Academic Matters

Tuition
hike sparks anger among Que. students
Budget sets out increases of $1,625 over five years
March 18, 2011
Quebec university students angry about five years of tuition hikes are planning
to show the province's finance minister their opposition in person on Friday.
The Quebec Federation of University Students (FECQ) is planning a noon-hour
rally outside a downtown Montreal hotel where Finance Minister Raymond Bachand
will speak to business leaders. Bachand, in his provincial budget tabled Thursday,
announced that post-secondary tuition will be going up $325 per year for each
of the next five years to help cash-strapped universities deal with funding
shortfalls.
Source:CBC News

January 6, 2011Study:
Labour market outcomes of Canadian doctoral graduates, 2007
In 2005, about 4,200 candidates earned a doctorate degree in Canada, roughly
one-tenth of the 43,400 doctorates awarded in the United States. By 2007, 12%
of doctoral recipients who had graduated from a Canadian university in 2005
were living in the United States. The majority of those graduates were planning
to return to Canada.

The study:

Expectations and Labour Market Outcomes of Doctoral Graduates
from Canadian Universities
By Louise Desjardins and Darren King
January 2011HTML
versionPDF
version (429K, 60 pages)
The study provides a profile of doctoral holders two years after graduation
by examining their demographics and program characteristics as well as their
expectations at the time of graduation. It also analyses their mobility patterns,
with a particular focus on graduates who moved to the United States. Finally
it examines the graduates' labour market outcomes, including employment rates,
income, industry and the prevalence of over-qualification as compared to the
graduates' expectations.

Trade
qualifiers in the skilled trades in Canada: An overview draws a
profile of "trade qualifiers" in 2007, using data from the Registered
Apprenticeship Information System. A trade qualifier is a person who has not
completed an apprenticeship program, but has acquired enough practical work
experience to pass exams leading to a certificate of qualification in their
trade.

This issue also provides links
to a series of new tables on population size, low income, public and
private expenditure on education, elementary-secondary school enrolments and
educators, enrolments and completions in postsecondary education, university
educators, and transitions to postsecondary education and to the labour market,
all part of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program. Also included are
updates
to the Handbook for the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program,
which outlines the methodology for this set of indicators.

Source:Education
Matters - main product page*
This free online periodical provides summary information on issues and gives
access to education indicators and Canadian education analysis. It presents
information, statistics and analysis in a non-technical, highly readable format
for teachers, students, parents, education associations, researchers and policy
makers [ This free online periodical provides summary information on issues
and gives access to education indicators and Canadian education analysis. It
presents information, statistics and analysis in a non-technical, highly readable
format for teachers, students, parents, education associations, researchers
and policy makers[ * On the product main page,click "View" to
see the latest issue of this report online; click "Chronological index"
for earlier issues. ]

A New Minister
Should Offer Students a New Deal
December 3, 2010
By Nick Falvo
While the McGuinty government showed interest in post-secondary education in
its first term, under Colleges, Training and Universities Minister John Milloy,
its been coasting in neutral, to put it mildly. (...) Milloy
hasnt just demonstrated that he wont stand up for students, hes
made a case for the fact that Ontario universities dont even recognize
him as the minister in charge. Premier McGuinty should
demonstrate that he really is the education premier, willing to
offer students a new deal. And he should start by replacing John Milloy as minister.
[ Nick Falvo is vice-president finance of Carletons
Graduate Students Association. ]
Source:Academic MattersAcademic Matters explores issues of relevance to higher
education in Ontario, other provinces in Canada, and globally. It is intended
to be a forum for thoughtful and thought-provoking, original and engaging discussion
of current trends in post-secondary education and consideration of academes
future direction.

Two recent items in the media on
post-secondary education in Canada
by Nick Falvo:

The
Big Five Proposal: Why We Shouldnt Pick Winners
October 2010
Just over a year ago, a debate emerged in Canada over the so-called Big
Five proposal for Canadian universities. While it succeeded in grabbing
headlines, I wouldnt put my money on it ever seeing the light of day.
At best, the proposal represents ill-advised and overly-simplistic thinking.
At worst, its a shameless attempt by five university presidents to bring
more prestige to their respective schools, irrespective of the impact on the
broader post-secondary education system. Last year, the presidents of the universities
of Toronto, McGill, UBC, Alberta and Montréal requested an interview
with MacLeans. Paul Wells summed up the interview as follows: An
hour into our conversation, the five presidents had called for more research
money, the ability to concentrate more on graduate education, fewer undergrads,
more international students, and the right to charge higher tuition in return
for increased financial assistance to the least affluent students.
Source:Academic Matters

---

Give Carleton funds to recruit foreign students(dead link - try a Google search)
October 14, 2010
Letter to the editor (see the link below)Re: Foreign-student plan stirs Carleton debate
First-year of university program would be privately runI enjoyed reading Matthew Pearson's very informative
article about Navitas, a for-profit company wanting to both recruit and teach
international students at Carleton University. However, there is an alternative
to allowing a private company such a role in university teaching. To be sure,
Carleton University could easily do on its own what Navitas is proposing to
do -- but, due largely to insufficient funding from the McGuinty government,
Carleton lacks the up-front money needed to recruit on the same scale as Navitas...
Source:Ottawa Citizen

September 29, 2010Study:
Employment patterns of postsecondary students, 2010Employment patterns for postsecondary students who work during the school
year changed significantly during the recent economic downturn. During the 2009/2010
school year, about 542,000 postsecondary students aged 15 to 24 held jobs. This
represented an employment rate of 45%, down from 48% in 2007/2008, just before
the economic downturn. Nevertheless, these rates were well above those during
the 1970s when 25% of students were employed.* Study
Highlights
* Full article:
--- HTML
--- PDF
(214K, 13 pages)
Source:Perspectives
on Labour and Income - product main page
This publication brings together and analyzes a wide range of labour and income
data. Topics include youth in the labour market, pensions and retirement, work
arrangements, education and training, and trends in family income.
* On the product main page, click "View" to see the latest issue of
this report online; click "Chronological index" for earlier issues.

The
Pathway College Concept:
One more step towards corporatizing our universitiesBy Nick FalvoSeptember 18, 2010
Those who spend a good deal of their lives on university campuses have been
hearing a lot lately about companies such as Navitas and Study Group International,
companies that promote the pathway college concept. The jury is
still out on what they will mean for post-secondary education in Canada. At
best, a healthy level of concern is in order. At worst, they represent the next
step in the ongoing corporatization of Canadian campuses. (...)
For faculty associations representing professors, pathways colleges threaten
to erode the quality of teaching at Canadian universities. Indeed, some detractors
of the pathways concept believe the profit motive will inevitably result in
international students being misled into believing their chances of gaining
entry into the university are greater than they really are.
Source:Academic Matters

Source:Social Research and Demonstration Corporation
The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) is a non-profit research
organization, created specifically to develop, field test, and rigorously evaluate
new programs. SRDCs two-part mission is to help policymakers and practitioners
identify policies and programs that improve the wellbeing of all Canadians,
with a special concern for the effects on the disadvantaged, and to raise the
standards of evidence that are used in assessing these policies.

September 16, 2010University
tuition fees, 2010/2011Canadian full-time students in undergraduate programs this fall paid
4.0% more on average in tuition fees for the 2010/2011 academic year than they
a year earlier. This increase is slightly higher than the one for 2009/2010,
when tuition fees rose 3.6%.
- incl. four tables:
* Average undergraduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students, by province
* Average graduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students, by province
* Average undergraduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students, by discipline
* Average graduate tuition fees for Canadian full-time students, by discipline

July 14, 2010University
enrolment, 2008/2009
Just over 1,112,300 students were enrolled in Canadian universities during the
academic year 2008/2009, up 3.7% from the previous year.
- includes three tables:
* University enrolment by registration status, program level and gender
* University enrolment by field of study and gender
* University enrolment by province and registration status

July 14, 2010University
degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded, 2008
In 2008, 244,380 students received a degree, a diploma or a certificate from
a Canadian university, up 0.7% from 2007. The increase was entirely due to the
attribution of university status to five colleges in British Columbia. If there
had been no changes in the number of universities surveyed between 2007 and
2008, the number of graduates would have decreased by 2.5%. In 2008, 60% of
qualifications, or 146,721, were awarded to women. Women were awarded 56.4%
of the qualifications in 1992.

All
Students Should Benefit from InnovationJune 17, 2010
By Nick Falvo
Stephen Harpers minority government has been making much of its innovation
strategy in recent months, especially in regard to how it plays out in
post-secondary institutions. In this years federal budget, for example,
the government boasted that Canadas investment in higher-education
R&D as a proportion of the economy is the highest among G7 countries.
In theory, we should all be able to benefit from innovation. But judging from
the way this strategy has been carried out across Canadas universities
in recent years, it is clear that it has created winners and losers. To be sure,
some students have received top dollar to help further the governments
agenda on this front, but university students in general are graduating with
considerably more student debt than when this strategy was first put in place.
Source:Academic Matters
Academic Matters explores issues of relevance to higher education in Ontario,
other provinces in Canada, and globally.

Student Aid Meets Social Assistance
March 11, 2010

This series of five commentaries on post-secondary
education derives from an in-depth study entitled Student
Aid Meets Social Assistance (PDF - K, 72 pages) published by the
Caledon Institute in September 2009. Each commentary deals with a core theme
linked to easing access to post-secondary education for low-income students,
including welfare recipients.
Sherri Torjman prepared all four reports, and each report is a small PDF file
two or three pages in length dated March 2010.

Student
Aid Meets Social Assistance (PDF - 278K, 77 pages)
By Sherri Torjman
September 2009
This study explores the interaction between student aid and social assistance
- the two main systems in Canada that provide financial support to post-secondary
students. Both systems are complex in themselves because they are governed by
a wide range of rules and regulations. Their complexity is exacerbated by the
constitutional nature of Canada . This paper focuses on the interface issues
because of an overriding concern: Students from low-income households are under-represented
in the post-secondary educational system - particularly at the university level.
They face multiple barriers, including information and motivational factors,
to participation. Another major problem, not surprisingly, is their limited
income and assets relative to the cost of post-secondary education.
Source:Caledon Institute of Social Policy
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy does rigorous, high-quality research
and analysis; seeks to inform and influence public opinion and to foster public
discussion on poverty and social policy; and develops and promotes concrete,
practicable proposals for the reform of social programs at all levels of government
and of social benefits provided by employers and the voluntary sector.

Moderator:
Dr. Ann Dale, Canada Research Chair on Sustainable Community Development, Royal
Roads University

Panelists:* Caroline Andrew,
former Dean of Social Sciences, Professor, School of Political Studies and Director
of the Centre for Governance, University of Ottawa* Chad Gaffield,
President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council* Noreen
Golfman, Professor and Dean of Graduate Studies, Memorial University and President,
Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences * Professor
John Robinson, Member of the International Panel on Climate Change, University
of British Columbia* Giselle Yasmeen, Vice-President of Partnerships,
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.[ Biographical
notes on all panelists (scroll down the page for bio notes) ]

January 29, 2010Study:
The financial impact of student loans
As tuition fees have risen, more students have relied on student loans to help
finance their postsecondary education and debt loads have gone up. This situation
in turn has had an impact on individual students' financial positions after
graduation. This study, based on data from three different surveys, found that
well over one-half (57%) of the graduating class of 2005 had student loans,
up from 49% 10 years earlier. Average student debt on graduation rose from $15,200
to $18,800 during the same decade. Also, the proportion of borrowers who graduated
with debt loads of at least $25,000 increased to 27% in 2005 from 17% in 1995.

July 13, 2009University
enrolment, 2007/2008Just over 1,066,000 students were enrolled in Canadian universities
during the academic year 2007/2008, up 0.6% from the previous academic year.
This is a much slower rate of growth than the annual average increase of 2.9%
since 1998/1999.
- includes three tables:
* University enrolment by registration status, program level and gender
* University enrolment by field of study and gender
* University enrolment by province and registration status

July 13, 2009University
degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded, 2007About 241,600 students received a degree, diploma or certificate
qualification from a Canadian university in 2007, a 6.9% increase from 2006.
Over 80% of the increase occurred in Ontario. Nearly 61% of qualifications,
or 146,700, were awarded to women, continuing a long-term trend in which female
graduates outnumber their male counterparts and their proportion continues to
increase.
- includes two tables:
* University qualifications awarded by program level and gender
* University qualifications awarded by field of study and gender

Spending
on students makes sense
Nick Falvo, vice-president of the Graduate Students Association,
says Drop Fees campaign crucial to ensuring education for all
By Nick Falvo, Vice-president (academic) of the Graduate Students Association
November 7, 2009
Students from across Ontario took to the streets Nov. 5 to fight for a fairer
deal for post-secondary education. This is a struggle that students must fight
to win, as decreasing government funding, rising tuition fees and a slumping
economy continue to place university education out of reach for a growing number
of Canadians. (...) Over the past several decades, senior levels of government
in Canada have decreased funding for post-secondary education. Indeed, government
grants as a share of university operating revenue in Canada decreased from 80
per cent to less than 57 per cent between 1986 and 2006. As a result, the share
of university operating budgets funded by tuition fees has more than doubled
during the same period (increasing from 14 to 29 per cent). To be sure, tuition
has been rising at the same time that the economy has nosedived. This year,
roughly 80 per cent of post-secondary students in Canada said they plan to work
while in school. And 70 per cent of high school graduates who do not pursue
post-secondary education cite financial reasons as the main factor.
Source:The Charlatan - Carleton University's
newspaper since 1945
[ Carleton University ]

Related link:

DROP FEES
for a Poverty-Free Ontario
The Drop Fees campaign calls for changes to be made to current government post-secondary
education policy that will positively benefit students and the sector in general.

Institute
of Intergovernmental Relations
The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen's University is Canada's
premier university-based centre for research on all aspects of federalism and
intergovernmental relations, both in Canada and in countries around the world.1. The IIGR launched a 2009 working paper series on the
Federal Dimensions of Reform of the Supreme Court of Canada. 2. The Institute is proud to announce that all IIGR publications
since 1976 have now been made freely available in PDF format in the Publications
Archive.

The
Olivia Framework Concepts for Use in
Finely- Grained, Integrated Social Policy
Analysis (PDF - 474K, 41 pages)November 2008By Peter HicksWorking
Paper #45[Friendly warning : Economists, life-course policy analysts and MPA
students will no doubt tremble with excitement as they pore through these 41 pages
dealing with a set of standard concepts that they can use in describing and assessing
the many dimensions of human resources and social development policies. If you
don't speak Policy-Wonkese, though, you may find it a bit of a challenging read.
And Olivia is not Newton-John, but rather a fictitious individual, a case study
developed to assist in the analysis of social and labour market conditions and
policies and their impacts on people.]

Social
Policy in Canada - Looking Back, Looking Ahead (PDF - 233K, 40 pages)
Peter
HicksNovember 2008Abstract: This paper discusses recent policy
trends, the changing role of the various actors in the system, international comparisons
and a range of other social policy topics. The paper does this by examining the
authors thoughts on trends and future directions as they were set out in
a paper written in 1994. It then fast forwards to 2008 and examines what actually
happened in the intervening years, pointing out areas where earlier forecasts
were reasonably accurate and, where they were not, the reasons for this. The immediate
purpose of the paper is to examine the reasons why social policy analysts need
to look into the future, and to explore ways of managing the inevitably large
risks associated with such future-looking exercises. The underlying purpose, however,
is simply to introduce a range of important Canadian social policy topic to students
and others who are interested in social policy, but without much previous background
in the area.

Recommended reading! - includes
a senior federal government insider's view of the tumultuous period of the mid-1990s,
notably the Social Security Review of 1994. As an insider myself during that decade
(if only on the social program information side of the Department where author
Peter Hicks was an Assistant Deputy Minister), I found this paper quite interesting
and enlightening, notably in its retrospective look at social policy in Canada
in the mid-1990s and thirteen years later, in 2008.

Learning to Save, Saving to Learn: Early Impacts
of the learn$ave Individual Development Accounts Project, a
new report released by SRDC, presents the 18-month results of learn$ave,
a project designed to demonstrate how Individual Development Accounts
can encourage low-income adults to save in order to increase their human
capital by participating in education or training, or starting a small
business.

Source:Social Research and Demonstration Corporation
(SRDC)
SRDCs two-part mission is to help policy-makers and practitioners
identify social policies and programs that improve the well-being of
all Canadians, with a special concern for the effects on the disadvantaged,
and to raise the standards of evidence that are used in assessing social
policies and programs.

Canadian Education Association
(CEA)
The Canadian Education Association (CEA) is a cross-Canada network with a strong
membership base of leaders in the education, research and policy, not for profit
and business sectors. We are committed to education that leads to greater student
engagement; teaching that inspires students and teachers and that causes all
students to learn; and schools that ensure both equity and excellence in pursuit
of the optimal development of all students.
- incl. links to : * About Us * Video * Blog * Bulletin * Awards * Events *
Education Canada * Transforming Education * Programs
& Initiatives * Research & Publications * Get Involved

Social
Policy in CanadaSeptember 2002Ernie Lightman (University of
Toronto) Social Policy in Canada is a "core text for upper-level
undergraduate courses on Canadian social policy in social work and sociology departments.
Also check for courses in economics, political science, public administration,
and health administration departments. [This textbook] provides and important
and timely examination of the past, present, and future of Canadian social policy.
In particular, Lightman looks closely at how social benefits are allocated, and
explains in detail the mechanisms and tools of income transfer and redistribution
that are central to all aspects of social policy. What makes the book unique is
its central organizing premise: not merely that social policy should be understood
in juxtaposition to economic policy, but that economic policy is in fact a subset
of social policy. The result is a comprehensive overview of key issues in the
realm of social policy that highlights commonalities and differences in such pivotal
areas as privatization, user fees, and universality."- I don't generally
include links to products that cost money, but I'll definitely make an exception
for the work of Ernie Lightman.
(And besides, he promised me a beer...)

Centre for Research
on Community Services
(part of the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Social Sciences)
"The mission of the Centre for Research on Community Services (CRCS) is
to conduct research and provide training that will contribute to the development
of effective health and social services for vulnerable populations living in
the community."
- incl. links to : About the Centre - What's New? - Personnel - Research Projects
- Conferences and workshops - Online Publications - Newsletters - Internet LinksFaculty of Social
Sciences
[ University of Ottawa ]

Social
Policy Research Unit (SPR) (Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina)
Established in 1972, the unit receives funding from the University and through
various research contracts and grants. SPR conducts critical analytic research
to promote social justice and enhance individual, family and community development.
- incl.
links to: About SPR - What's New - Research Associates - Research Projects - Research
Resources - Events - Publications

Related
Links - dozens of links to various community-based, non-profit organizations,
research and academic institutes and government departments.

Current
Issues Surrounding Poverty and Welfare Programming in Canada : Two Reviews
(PDF file - 371K, 43 pages)("Race to the Bottom: Welfare to Work Programming
in Saskatchewan and its Similarities to Programming in the United States and Britain")By
Garson Hunter, Ph.D & Dionne Miazdyck, Research AssistantAugust 2003-
interesting comparison of recent welfare reforms in Saskatchewan, Canada, the
U.S. and Britain- includes a ten-page article entitled Low Income Cut-Offs
(LICO) and Poverty Measurement (LICO, Market Basket Measure, etc.)TIP===>
the appendix to this report (pp 27-31) presents a detailed comparison of the main
features of the Saskatchewan Assistance Plan (the old Saskatchewan welfare program)
and the new Transitional Employment Allowance.

12th Biennial Canadian
Social Welfare Policy Conference:Forging Social Futures: Canadian and International Perspectives
A joint initiative of the University of New Brunswick and the Canadian Council
on Social Development
June 16-18, 2005
Fredericton, New Brunswick
"This is an opportunity for scholars, analysts,
policy makers and activists to share ideas about building equitable communities.
The bilingual forum is a diverse mix of the practical
and the theoretical. It will highlight what works, what doesn't work and what
could work. Participants will come away with new information and ideas about
how theories can be turned into responsive policies and programs. The
conference will feature a mixture of keynotes, plenaries, workshops and roundtables
to maximize opportunity for presentation and discussion. Most sessions are to
be held at the Wu Conference Centre at the Fredericton campus of the University
of New Brunswick in the stimulating context of this bilingual and bicultural
province."

11th
Canadian Social Welfare Policy Conference - It's Time to Act!Ottawa
June 15, 16 and 17, 2003Presented by the University of Ottawa and the
Canadian Council on Social Development
"This conference brings university and voluntary sector researchers and
advocates together with municipal, provincial and federal policymakers to put
ideas into action. This year the role of the voluntary sector in policy-making
will be highlighted..."

Mapleleafweb.com
Mapleleafweb.com is what we hope will become the primary portal site for
Canadian political education.
- excellent content - great site for political and social studies, covering
a wide range of topics and offering all kinds of interactivity like chat rooms,
forums, online polls and more
- national and provincial coverage (special focus on BC and Alberta), election
watch, current news and events, website reviews, interviews, electoral reform,
links to political and election sites, and much, much more.

Country Indicators for Foreign Policy
(CIFP)
- includes country rankings, on-line presentations and a mapping component.
- provides on-line access to measures of domestic armed conflict, governance
and political instability, militarization, religious and ethnic diversity, demographic
stress, economic performance, human development, environmental stress, and international
linkages. Initiated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(DFAIT) and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in 1997, CIFP
represents an on-going effort to identify, assemble and analyze open-source
information. The CIFP database currently includes statistical data in the above
issue areas, in the form of over 100 performance indicators for 196 countries,
spanning fifteen years (1985 to 2000) for most indicators. These indicators
are drawn from a variety of open sources, including the World Bank, the United
Nations Development Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, and the Minorities at
Risk and POLITY IV data sets from the University of Maryland..
Principal Investigator : David Carment
Source:
Norman Paterson School of International Affairs
(Carleton University, Ottawa)

Welfare to Work Study
King's College (University of Western Ontario)Carolyne A. Gorlick, Ph.D/Associate Professor, King's College, is the
principal investigator of this research project and Guy Brethour is the
research associate/coordinator.
"The National Welfare to Work Study funded by Social Development Partnerships
(Human Resources Development Canada) has 3 main objectives:
- to produce an inventory of the different types of welfare to work programs
emerging across the country
- to analyze the dynamic relationship between program design, community resources
and individual/family capacities
- to assess the impact of the linkage between program design, community resources
and individual/family capacities on program success.
The first objective has been completed with the collection of comprehensive
information on all provinces/territories' welfare to work programs. Both the
National Inventory on Welfare to Work in Canada and an accompanying discussion
paper entitled National Welfare to Work Programs: from new mandates to exiting
bureaucracies to individual and program accountability was published and disseminated
by the Canadian Council on Social Development in the fall of 1998. The other
objectives were addressed in Phase 2 of the study which included data collection
in six Canadian communities. All the communities had experiences with welfare
to work program implementation. Phase 2 also involved updating the original
National Inventory on Welfare to Work in Canada. The final report will be disseminated
in the winter of 2002."

Welfare
to Work Phase 2 Update - reports for every province and territory are
now available on the site. They contain detailed information about welfare-to-work
programs and services --- eligibility, supports, funding, assessment and review,
planned program changes and much more - all revised to reflect what was happening
at the end of 2001 across Canada.

"The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen's University is
Canada's premier university-based centre for research on all aspects of federalism
and intergovernmental relations, both in Canada and in countries around the
world."

Canadian Federation of University
Women - Founded in 1919, the Canadian Federation of University Women
is a voluntary, nonpartisan, non-profit, self-funded bilingual organization
of 10,000 women university graduates. CFUW members are active in public affairs,
working to raise the social, economic, and legal status of women, as well as
to improve education, the environment, peace, justice and human rights.

Subject
Resources for Social Work
- includes almost 100 links to articles, associations, societies, lists and
newsgroups, websites, reference tools, current awareness, newspaper sources,
and more...

To search the complete
Canadian Social Research Links website ,
use the text box below:

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